INSTANT VIEW: Israel's Lieberman renounces Annapolis

(Reuters) - New Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Wednesday that Israel was not bound by understandings on the creation of a Palestinian state reached at a U.S.-sponsored conference at Annapolis in November 2007.

PAUL SALEM, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE INSTITUTE MIDDLE EAST Center,

BEIRUT:

"There is no doubt (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu has a big problem with the traditional peace process. In Washington, they're worried about that. But at the same time Netanyahu knows and (Labor leader and Defense Minister Ehud) Barak knows that they have to do something about the peace process."

"(Netanyahu) is aware that if Lieberman keeps pulling in the extreme right, he will be a pariah in Europe and not favored in Washington.

"It's not a surprise that this right-wing government is starting off by casting negative aspersions on ... Annapolis. It's a way of wasting time. Netanyahu knows he's in a difficult position."

MOUIN RABBANI, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST, AMMAN:

"Netanyahu would have very much liked to fudge things. The problem with Lieberman as foreign minister is that he's going to continue to put Netanyahu on the spot."

He said Lieberman's statement underscored the dilemma facing the new Israeli government in dealing with the United States and other powers that want to see it commit to a two-state solution.

TAMIR SHEAFER, POLITICAL ANALYST, HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF

JERUSALEM:

"He is giving the Americans a slap in the face for sure."

"This points up some of the difficulties we can expect from this coalition. It is just the beginning of some great problems this government has in store, by including such disparate elements as Lieberman and the (left-wing) Labour Party."

"There is no doubt that from an international standpoint, of diplomacy, making this type of declaration wasn't the right thing to do."

GHASSAN AL-KHATIB, POLITICAL ANALYST, BEIR ZEIT UNIVERSITY:

"I think that this statement of Lieberman confirms the concerns among Palestinians and many other parties interested in making peace in the Middle East that this new government in Israel is really bad news as far as the peace process is concerned ... and that this government is not so interested in continuing the pursuit of peace as much as it is interested in pursuing the illegal expansion of settlements in Palestinian occupied territories and consolidating the occupation, instead of negotiating, ending it, in order to make peace.

This is going to bring some isolation to the government of Israel, in addition to some pressure. Already there was a very cool reception to this government. Obama personally said last week that this government is not good news for the peace process. The European Union last week also made a statement saying that in order to continue upgrading relations between Europe and Israel, Israel has to abide by the two-state solution."

EYTAN GILBOA, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST, BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY:

"Annapolis was Bush's policy and was a big failure. I think that therefore I expect a minor reaction. I think the new Israeli government will be judged by its actions, not its statements.

"If anybody predicts a major confrontation over this statement between the two countries, he would be wrong, because the two sides, both Netanyahu and Obama, I'm sure will make every possible effort to avoid a major confrontation that early on about Annapolis.

"I think the Lieberman statement is problematic because of the timing and the style."

"His purpose was simply to send a message that this is a new government and the policy of this government is going to be different than that of the previous government."

(Reporting by Yara Bayoumy in Beirut and Adam Entous and Allyn Fisher-Ilan in Jerusalem)